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Mark and Gerry's Sci-Fi Reviews continue......
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The Light of Other Days
by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter
review by Gerry
What would happen if someone developed the perfect spy camera, which could be
used to watch anybody anywhere? And what if this camera could be used not just in
the present, but to view anytime in the past? And finally, what would happen if this
camera were available to everyone? These are some of the issues posed in The Light
of Other Days.
The story follows several characters from the year 2033 until 2042, with a few other
events taking place in 2082 and 2142. Earth in 2033 is in many ways similar to the
present day, but with more problems and gadgets. Mankind is still earthbound (the
International Space Station was a flop). The USA is still dominant and has even added
England as a 52nd state. Worldwide there is overpopulation, wars over drinking water,
higher ocean levels, and other problems. Technology has provided, among other
things, biotech implants to enhance human senses, robotic drones, and spectacular
virtual reality programs to distract people. But there is bad news on the horizon. A
gigantic comet called the Wormwood has been discovered and will destroy life on
Earth in 2534. But people and governments are surprisingly unfazed, and more
intrigued with the hottest new innovation, the WormCam. A wealthy, greedy, selfish
businessman (is there any other kind in these stories?) has overseen the development
of the WormCam. It is a device which can transmit information between any two
points via a tiny, stable wormhole. There is an excellent description of how they built
and stabilize these wormholes, calling upon the currently popular quantum foam
theories, anti-gravity, and a Casimir engine. As the story progresses, the wormhole
technology improves. The rapid pace of development of the wormhole technology
mirrors the current explosion in real life of computer technology and the use of the
internet. Eventually, everyone has access to WormCams, and young people are the
quickest to find unique ways to use it and circumvent it.
People and governments find good and bad uses for the WormCam. The total loss
of privacy has repercussions, and also some people become addicted to WormCam
use. Aside from voyeuristic uses, some people become obsessed with the past
(looking at the "light of other days"). Actually one of the weakest and slowest parts of
the book occurs when the writers indulge too much in some areas of the past, as the
writers spend many pages telling us what they presume some historical figures were
really like. Eventually the writers get past human history, and back to a surprising
time on Earth before humans, as well as to places beyond Earth. And the story also
returns to the repercussions of the wormhole technology on the main characters and
the rest of humanity.
Can people rise past their baser instincts and use the technology to benefit
mankind? Will the invention destroy the lives of the wealthy businessman and his
unusual family? What about that gigantic comet? And, on a lighter note, is there
anywhere a young person won't put a wormhole? You'll have to read the book to find
out. Similar to Manifold: Time, also by Stephen Baxter and reviewed previously, the
fate of humans is on the line. But unlike Manifold: Time, there is no changing the
past, sending messages to the future, or reshaping the universe in The Light of Other
Days. Aside from the WormCam, the technical and biotechnical developments seem
credible for the near future. And The Light of Other Days depicts a reasonable
picture of what might happen if a WormCam were to become a reality. I would
recommend reading this book, and remember: you never know when someone may be watching you!!
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